I followed you for a while as a cool songwriter from my home state of Texas, but your flirtations with selling out to the corporate music machine have now gone way past heavy petting with pop country, to dirty sex with the man who would kill country music if it meant keeping him flush in chicken and biscuits.

When Taylor Swift won the CMA for Entertainer of the Year in 2009, we thought it could get no worse. We also thought that when Sugarland put a reggae break in a song, or when Jason Aldean covered a Colt Ford rap, or when Trace Adkins took a stupid urbanism and turned it into the premise for a whole song, or when Arron Lewis took the same Staind song that’s been rehashed a dozen times and called it country. But still they spiral continues downward. The formulas get even more stale, the lyrics get even more condescending, until Taylor Swift looks like the median of quality, or maybe even the high water mark that all the other refuse on mainstream country radio falls in line behind.

The latest new low is this “duet” by Colt Ford with the aforementioned Kevin Fowler called “Hip Hop in a Honky Tonk.” You can probably guess the premise. 2011 might be the year that the two 2 super-genres of hip hop and country merge into a mono-genre as I’ve predicted, as the lost and creatively bankrupt music industry continues to contract, offering no contrast, no creativity, and no choice. What could be a finer example than this:

I haven’t talked much about Colt Ford up until now. My policy before was to stay out of his way and let him fall on his own sword as an obvious sideshow and flashbulb craze. But unfortunately, Kevin Fowler and Jason Aldean, in a shameful attempt to make their own stars burn brighter, have added a level of legitimacy to his name. What really got me was this line from the song:

Now what do you think old Hank would say, It would kill him if he was still alive today

I’d bet money that he’s rolling over in his grave, ’cause Hank sure as hell didn’t do it that way.

In the context of the song, Colt is acknowledging that Hank Williams, who is the one man most responsible for making country a relevant music genre, would be appalled by the mixing of country and hip-hop, and ended it with a play on Waylon Jennings’ song “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” an anti-Nashville song about how the country music industry has lost its way. In other words, Colt is transgressing the traditions of country with this song, then acknowledging that he is transgressing them, so he can’t plead ignorance. Then he mocks these traditions, and then mocks anybody who would defend them from people like himself.

I know some will say, “Hey, this is all a big joke.” Well pardon me if I don’t laugh as my culture is being trashed for commercial gain.

And why does country always have to be the submissive genre when country and hip-hop collide? Why can’t it be honky tonk music in a hip hop bar? I’ll tell you why, because hip hoppers have more self respect than this, and would bust a cap in any project before it could make it to mastering.

I don’t understand what is going on here. Why is this lowly little blog the only place where sheer mortification for this garbage lives? This is our culture ladies and gentlemen, and it has been stolen from us. It has been ripped right out of our hands, and used, exploited, trashed, and now thrown back in our faces as they mock us for caring about it.

Where’s the outrage? Where are the voices of dissent? Where is Hank Williams Jr., Jamey Johnson, Miranda Lambert, or George Strait? Why are they afraid to come out and state the obvious, that this is an abomination? Where is the Charlie Rich of 1974 that took a lighter out and burned the envelope naming John Denver as the CMA Entertainer of the Year? Are they just unaware, or are they too afraid to put their own asses on the line for fear this is where all music is going and they don’t want to be the ones at the party without a chair when the REAL music stops?

We need someone standing up to this that has a bigger megaphone than me. We need assholes crashing Colt Ford shows and heckling his ass between songs. We need Hank Williams reinstated to The Grand Ole Opry. We need to draw a line in the sand or next week the song I roast will be yet another step worse. This is OUR music, the people’s music. And if this trend continues, all that will be left is our memories and a few mp3’s and some dusty old records.

140 Comments

Sandman
January 5, 2011 @
10:57 am

I can enjoy some country radio music as good rock or pop acts but Colt Ford really grinds my gears. He has no talent as a rapper and the “country music” behind him is average garbage at best. I want to say he’ll be a passing fad but you can never tell these days. You’ll probably see him on the next CMA awards doing a duet with Kid Rock.

All these acts doing duets with him and covering his songs is giving him legitimacy. As a side show novelty act, he was mostly harmless. Now he is mainstream, and everybody wants to work with him. The country music mainstream has been desensitized to this kind of stuff over the years, and now it does even shock people to hear someone rapping on their country radio station.

I couldn’t have imagined this even a few years ago. As pliable as the mainstream country fan is, I thought they would spit this stuff out like Jessica Simpson. Shows how far we’ve come. Jessica would probably make it these days, she’s an upgrade from this garbage.

Add Jamey Johnson to that list . Jamey made a guest appearance on Colt Fords debut album and co-wrote a song with Colt Ford the appeared on Cledus T. Judd’s 2009 album Polyrically Uncorrect, People keep saying Jamey is the real deal but i just dont see it . He is a sellout just like all the others.

Yep. There’s that whole, ‘Honky Tonk Badonkadonk’, thing, as well. Fuck Jamey Johnson. At least this Colt Ford asshole is blatently spitting in our faces, and not shaking hands and kissing babies with those dumb enough to buy into his bullshit, while suckling at the tit of the system, just like the rest of them.

Colt Ford is not the problem. He knows he’s a joke. He knows he can’t sing and has no talent; he’s admitted as much. The problem is his fans and the mainstream country fandom don’t know any better and have completely invited him into the fold as a legitimate artist while hack country stars try to capitalize off his fame.

That’s why he is the problem. He knows it’s a joke, mainstream country doesn’t even when he puts down his own music in a song like this. The best thing he could do is hold a press confrence tell everyone since they don’t get that it’s a joke he realises he is just contributing to the problem & anounce his retirement.

Don Imus has been promoting Jamey Johnson on some benefit CD and heck he sang with pop tart Pickler so that sure makes him legit! Hahaaa…..

Until Nashville stops with the American Idol worship and promoting all that pop junk and people start demanding pure acoustic music again, nothing on TV or radio will change. Thankfully, we have websites like this too. I think the so-called country music stations promoting pop country is a big problem because as long as they get enough money, they will continue to play the “popular” tracks because millions of people believe that “Top 40” means “the best” and buy it. Shoot, if millions of kids have been brainwashed to think that Taylor Swift’s tone deaf stuff is good music, then just about anything can be sold.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for that charity CD, I was just mentioning the many ways in which Jamey Johnson was being promoted in country music. I am a fan of Don’s too. Am weird that way. I was just too lazy when I posted before to find the link etc. Thanks for clearing that up.

I’ll admit when Colt Ford first came out I liked him. I thought it was interesting kinda like when Aerosmith and RunDMC came together. He admitted he couldn’t sing so he rapped and brought in legitimate country singers to do the singing part. He was bringing something new to the table that no-one else had achieved. They tried mixing the two genres with Cowboy Troy through the whole horrible Big and Rich era but of course that didn’t work because there was nothing country about him other than they threw a cowboy hat on him and called him country. His music was straight up rap. Now that Colt Ford has become mainstream his music has become extremely hokey. He lost me after the Chicken and Biscuits song and now this.

The same goes with Kevin Fowler I used to like him too. Good texas red dirt style of music. Great songs like Long Line of Losers and Triple Crown, but after he’s sorta became mainstream his music has become hokey as well. Have you heard his song Pound Sign that he recently came out with….Horrible.

Another artist I’ve been sorta interested in through Colt Ford is Brantley Gilbert.This guy has some great songs but of course they are channeling all his songs through Jason Aldean now and he’s butchering this guys songs by rapping in it in the song My Kinda Party. Of course this guy is a lil more modern country/southern rock than most people who comment here like.

I’m sure I’ll get shit for giving these guys any credit when they came out from everyone on this page..lol! But I’m sure I’ve mentioned before that I have no problem with having different subgenres of country music classic/outlaw/alt. country/red dirt/hellbilly/pop/bluegrass/traditional/southern rock/etc as long as it has some recognizable “country” roots. I know I won’t listen to all of them if I don’t like that certain subgenre like this candy pop country music like Taylor Swift. The only problem I have is that labels/corporations/promoters/radio/tv only promote the pop country and now hick-hop subgenre. I feel if they put as much effort into promoting some of these alt. country bands they would find out that if more people knew about those subgenres there would be a larger market for it to support them.

by the way here’s a question for ya? Why do they call it alt. country when alt. country is really traditional “country” music and country they call “country” now isn’t “country” at all?

I am not diametrically opposed to trying to mix hip hop and country, or white music and black music, believe it or not, when it is done with taste. Beck comes to mind. Colt started out as kind of a fringe gimmick, and that is fine. It would be unreasonable and reactionary to have used him early in his career as a sign of some country music Apocalypse. What has changed is these acts like Jason Aldean, Jamey Johnson, and Kevin Fowler see how much attention and fans he’s getting, and as they lend his name to his bit, Colt gets pulled deeper and deeper into the mainstream. Again, it’s not his fault necessarily, he’s just along for the ride.

Can someone explain the draw to Aldean??? I never got it. Ever.
I mean I can see the draw to Johnson (with his current work in the past 3 years) and Fowler, even you said, he has/had some TX cred.
But I never understood the draw to Aldean?

What drew me to Jason Aldean when he first came out was I saw him perform on CMT 330 Sessions online before he became big (not the new CMT 330 session videos..ie Johnny Cash song). It was just him doing some acoustic songs without the backup band and pyro and such. I liked the realness and rawness about it, but like all other artists they start off great then the corporate labels mold you into what they want you to be.

I get confused when an artist says my influences were Merle, Johnny, Waylon. But then you hear their songs, I am like “what? how could they be your influences? you sound nothing like that.” It almost feels insulting to me.
oh, this just jogged my memory-
I saw Letterman Show last night and Tim McGraw was on. He said his influences were mainly Merle. And after that, he said, paraphrasing “when you hear music from guys like Merle and Willie, as an artist today you feel inadequate , cause your not that good.” it must be on youtube somewhere.

I thought that was a very honest comment, and surprised he admitted that.

A lot of these artists come to Nashville with good songs, strong roots, and good intentions, but then they get swept up in the Nashville machine, and next thing they know their manager has signed them up for something like this. Everybody wants to make money, and every artist wants their music in front of as many people as possible, the difference is what some will compromise to get it. I have no doubt Aldean or Fowler started out as good people, and I know Fowler was for a fact.

Trig I think you explained that perfectly as to how I perceive Nashville. That’s usually why I like alot of Nashville acts when they first come out and touring the local bars and such. Then after they get more noticed and start working on their 2nd album the major labels already have their claws in them and change their whole style or pigeonhole them in singing the same certain type of song because their one song was a hit so they want more songs exactly like it. Plus once the artist gets that first taste of stardom and money starts rolling in, they give up their ideals they once stood for in order for fame and fortune.

I can’t say I disagree with the sentiment in the article nor how country and hip-hop are becoming one in the same and other genres going by the wayside.
However, lets not make the mistake that Colt Ford is some HipHop star coming over to country. He is not anything in the HipHop world. He is only known in the country world and seems to admit he is somewhat of a parody.

I didn”™t take this song as a spit in the face of country tradition, but more of a recitation of what you might find in bars across the country. The band stops, and some DJ puts on dance music, which in bars that attract your younger/single crowd, is going to be some type of “hip-hop” to get the girls moving. Also, the lyrics defend country music, until the hot girls shaking their ass come out and guys do what guys do”¦”anything for hot girls”, and if that means hip-hop in a honky tonk, you won”™t find many guys turning it down to drive the girls away.

In regard to the Cletus T. Judd comments, Judd was a comedic parody. His songs were not HipHop. The one that is referenced above (mentioning Jamey Johnson), is called “If I had boobs like Kellie Pickler”. Maybe not knee slapping funny, but not hiphop.
He also made songs with other artists, making fun of country acts. He really wasn”™t much different than what was done on Hee-Haw long before him. So to connect Judd”™s act with Ford isn”™t accurate, and most likely there is some issue you have with the artists that worked with Judd.

The “Cold Beer” song is hiphop. The chorus is kind of catchy though and is by far the best part of the song. To bad they wasted it in a song like this.

I am not sure why country artists like Fowler, John Michael Montgomery, Jamey Johnson, etc”¦ work with Ford, so I am not going to speculate. Now, the act “Cowboy Troy” is much more of an insult than Colt Ford. And Cowboy Troy hasn”™t seemed to change the game at all.

Again, the sentiment of the article I can”™t disagree. But Colt isn”™t a hip-hopper trying to invade country. He is a parody, like many before him”¦and perhaps the acts that work with him get a laugh out of it. When Jay-Z teams up with Whitey Morgan, then we should be worried. (totally kidding guys, but this duet is just a come and go song.)

I didn’t think I portrayed Colt as a hip hopper invading country, though I guess I could see how someone could take it that way. It is more about hip-hop invading country, and using acts like Colt Ford and Kid Rock as vehicles.

And I do think you make a good point about separating things as being “comedic” and others that are truly trying to portray themselves as mainstream. That is why I have given a pass to Colt Ford for so long, because I saw him as a gimmick, and took it for granted that that is the way others saw him as well. Now however he has become mainstream, and so it becomes my business, esp. when acts like Kevin Fowler sign on.

I personally blame it on the MTV/CMT corporate conglomeration. Once those two entities became one you began to see more crossover between country and rock and country and hip-hop. I don’t believe it was the viewers of MTV/CMT but the corporation that seen a way to be greedier and make more money. It’s just like what happened to the economy…eventually it’s gonna pop. You can only ride that train for so long before it stops.

Oh I also blame it on the younger women these days….lol They love their ass-shaking hip-hop music. I guess I’d have to blame it on the guys too because in my opinion guys have all became big puss’s and follow the women wherever they go.

You may have a real point there Chris. Many women fall for the dumb, catchy beat, and since many don’t respect themselves anymore, they will do whatever they can to get attention from men. If you listen to the message of the video, that is what is being portrayed. Man I’m so glad I don’t frequent these corporate honky tonks.

Blaming women for this song and for the way country music is going is offensive. Afterall it wasn’t a woman who produced and sang this song. c’mon…… I used to go to the only popular “country” bar in orlando because I had to to work (flower girl) and I can tell you that they introduced Baby Got Back into the line dancing more than 15 years ago and thats when I stopped going there (oh and the DJs were all males at this bar). The unfortunate thing is that this songs hits so close to the mark of what is really going on with DJs and cross over music. But the bottom line is that women like to dance and men like to watch. If a song like this gets women dancing, the club/bar fills and the men follow because they are led by their dicks. Personally I didn’t hate the song, I thought it was funny and honest and yes I am a woman, that’s true. But there are still distinct differences between hip hop and country whether its old school hip hop/rap or new, pop country or traditional country. I think its a sad statement to have to call men out on their skirt sniffing ways but glad someone did it. Let’s face it, if a hot hair pie was in your face that you wanted and she wanted to listen to hip hop and screw, you and 90% of the males out there would be fishing on pandora or another music outlet to find the music she wants to hear so you could get tail – admit it… Not every woman is a whore trying to market themselves to men. I have self respect. Women like sex too so let’s not go there. Most men on this earth wouldn’t get laid if it wasn’t for slutty women so you should be thanking them instead of insulting them… pussy and money are the two things that make this world go round… geesh.

I do think its funny when I see our records and our friends records on “alt-country” charts, and Taylor Swift makes the “country” charts…oh, so sad, to see the end of the “country and western” charts…

In some sense we could blame this on Gram Parsons, couldn’t we?? Wasn’t this part of his dream?? That all “musics” would come together–and it would just be music, or cosmic american music….though, I do have to believe that this wouldn’t have done it for him–as a fan, I have to believe that.

Remember how bad it got when the hair bands were crossing over every genre at the end of their reign?? and what happened then?? Nirvana’s album came out and as Mike Cooley sings, “angst had gotten old enough they decided it finally needed a proper home” and all the boys cut off their hair before the girls even got a chance to take down all the posters, or however the rest of the lyrics go…and so on…

We’re just about there…hold tight. Maybe Jamey Johnson’s record was Dinosaur Jrs “Green Mind” that preceded Nirvana’s “Nevermind”….maybe Johnson is the guy before the guy—whoever that guy may be.

Its a cycle—it happens every time–and as soon as something gets to the point where once was popular gets very uncool, and the sound of their name almost becomes a curse word(Poison, Kenny Chesney)—something comes along and takes it spot–until that becomes uncool-and so on. Its close–and there’s no reason to think this trend wouldn’t continue in this case. Consider this another nail in the coffin.

I don’t think Gram Parsons is to blame for anything except trying to keep good country music alive when Nashville was trying to kill it. He hated The Eagles. Can’t say its a stretch that he would hate this.

I talk about the country music cycle all the time. Or as I like to call it “The Circle” from the old gospel hymn “Will The Circle Be Unbroken,” that is the inspiration behind the archetecture of the country music Hall of Fame. The actually hall itself is a circle with those words inscribed. My concern is that when Taylor Swift won the CMA for Entertainer of the Year in 2009, the circle WAS broken, and now instead of cycling around on a perpetual path, country is on a one way track straight into the ground. That is what happened with rock music. From a mainstream business standpoint, there is no more rock. There’s hip hop and country, that is why you see so many country bands aping AC/DC and Bon Jovi. I hope I’m wrong, and I hope the cycle comes back around, and soon.

You have a lot of “rock” acts, that basically “rap” the lyrics now too. I am not a huge rock genre fan, but I know when I hear say, Lincoln Park, it doesn’t sound like rock or metal. It sounds like someone rapping, with a chorus being sung in some cases.

I was playing devil’s advocate by bringing up Gram–he was part of what brought “rock” into country—and I think that was my point. He tried to meld two kinds of music together in some sense, while heavily seeded in the tradition of country. Whether by accident or by design, he’s largely responsible for bringing the rock beat to country, even ole Waylon said so himself(struggled to google the exact quote…grrrrr…couldn’t find it–my bad)….

I’m a huge Gram fan—he brought me to country(via the Replacements and the Kinks)…

Rock is history, you’re right on that…leaving opinions aside on the new Kid Rock record–what from that record do you play on modern rock radio?? the answer to that–nothing–there is no modern rock radio…

The quote was coined by Waylon’s drummer Richie Albright…”Let me tell you something Hoss, I can tell you’re fixin’ to quit. You don’t want to do that, you can’t do that. Let’s try one more time, just one more time. There’s another way of doing things and they call it rock ‘n roll.”

“We”™re just about there”¦hold tight. Maybe Jamey Johnson”™s record was Dinosaur Jrs “Green Mind” that preceded Nirvana”™s “Nevermind””¦.maybe Johnson is the guy before the guy””whoever that guy may be.”

Oh lord Jeremy!-I hope you’re right,but please don’t compare Jamey “Bodonkadonk” Johnson to the great and powerful J. Mascis. Dinosaur was the real deal. Sure they left SST and signed to a major,but besides firing Lou Barlow the music didn’t change to suit the masses.

I totally see your point though. I wish “that guy” would get here soon.

Jamey Johnson tried the pop-country field. He lost his record deal. He(or his management) re-invented himself as a self proclaimed “outlaw” artist.
Now he’s on tour with Kid Rock. Ugggh… And the rural folk that I’ve lived around my whole life are buying right into the shit. I live 40 miles from where Bill Monroe was born and buried and it sickens me to see our heritage of good music in this area throw on the trash heap. Was our culture stolen? Nah, folks were damn glad to give it away. I won’t even comment on Colt Ford.

I picked a helluva’ time to quit smoking cigarettes,didn’t I?
I need a drink.

bodonkadonk. almost forgot about that one. I thought it was funny. I mean, I could see the humor in the song. I don’t know what the hell Trace Adkins was thinking though… that song took him down a road of some pretty bad tunes. “Swing Batter Batter” remember that one.

No worries, I’m a huge J. Mascis fan–saw Dinosaur Jr for the first time when I was 15 years old at St Andrews—I’m not comparing him to Johnson…I’m just saying, maybe that album will be the pre-cursor to the next thing, like Green Mind was.

Y’all have lost me with Dinosaur Jr., though I did pretend to like it in high school so I could lock lips with this girl.

But that is a great point Paul, the “new south” is selling their heritage in a completely willing manner. If they’re taking it, it’s like taking candy from a baby. Of course the old adage about herding animals comes into play to: If you want to move a herd of animals, make them think they choose their own destination.

Throw Teenage Fanclub’s Banwagonesque, My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless and Slint’s Spiderland album in there too. 1991 was a strange and wonderful year for groundbreaking albums that alllllllmost made it.

I found the way women were portrayed in this video to be offensive, and the exact way they are portrayed in most hip-hop videos.

Again, I know people were trying to be funny, but watch this video. Colt pulls a Barbie doll out of a briefcase, hooks jumper cables up to it, then puts a bra on his head while Kevin oversings into the camera. It is one of those “It’s so bad it’s funny” moments.

Your asking Triggerman. but I wanted to make a comment since you brought up flim. From a casual fan, why do current movies about country music (Crazy Heart, Country Strong) portray country music as it “should be” or more “traditional” in a sense, But current country music isn’t anything like these movies or what country “should be”.

I question that myself. I think because film makers are more creative and in tune with what is “real”. Or maybe they are just trying to fulfill all of our fantasies of what we want country music to be..lol

Excellent question. I am so intrigued by these thoughts. It goes back to my inquiry about what it is to be “country”. Hollywood defines much of what we think everything is supposed to be, right? It tells us what “family” is and what “beauty” is….same with country music, right?

The story is based loosely on Britney Spears. They just switched the genre to pop country and inserted an inconic blonde because that is whats selling this quarter.

And as for that sexist, racist POS video above: there needs to be an ass whooping. Chuck D has been ranting about pretty much the same thing from corporate hip-hop’s point of view. I can only imagine what he has to say about this.

I am going to see it this weekend. Review coming. Interesting side note, I had a guy interview me yesterday from a large publication about some of the trends surrounding these kinds of movies. I will let everyone know when it is published.

Right. But why? And Gillian’s Britney Spears comment above makes me take pause. If, in fact, the “country” paradigm is planted purposefully to sell, why? Because the character seems more wholesome and likable? We can hate on Britney because she seems so Hollywood but the country girl may actually be like one of us?

Well, Triggerman, I just watched the entire pile of dog poop and my first reaction was too positive! Lol. Just a cheap way to try to sell music with sex. Wow, what WILL they think of next!! Oh, and did ya notice the opening had just a shade of Brad’s ONLINE in it?

The Favre reference is a joke. I.E. since Brett’s streak of consecutive games played has ended, all has gone to hell. If you are from MN or WI, or follow NFL, you would see the humor.
Streak ended, dome fell in, games moved to tuesday night. I was just playing off that. Now birds falling out of sky, etc.

“Jamey Johnson tried the pop-country field. He lost his record deal. He(or his management) re-invented himself as a self proclaimed “outlaw” artist.”

From the little out there on Johnson, to a non-industry insider/simple music fan, it seems that it may have been the opposite. He was pushed to pop-country, left for dead, and now is more himself then ever. He certainly has some black marks on the resume, but currently appears pointed in the right direction. If it is an act, then my iggnorant self is sold. His touring with Kid Rock might become one of the black marks for him though.

Ice Cold-I’ll be the first to admit that I liked “That Lonesome Song”. I thought it was a pretty great album that had a chance of some decent airplay on commercial country stations. Shoot, I had high hopes for Jamey Johnson. Granted, I didn’t care for “The Dollar” album but the second record almost had me sold. I don’t care for the new double album,but I bought it with high hopes too. There’s a couple decent tracks.
So yes,there are Jamey Johnson songs that I like. What I don’t like is the selling of Johnson as an “outlaw” artist. I might be a bit hypocritical in the fact that if Johnson was on Dualtone or Lost Highway or Bloodshot,and you could see him in small clubs I’d probably be a fan. I’ll admit that. I’m guilty.
Colt Ford is an atrocity. I feel like my culture is being blatantly made fun of every time I hear his crap. Or that Trace Adkins crap…or any of that “I’m so country I smell like hog shit” stuff that’s so hot these days.
I live on a tobacco farm. I have a truck. I drink beer. I fall into their marketing demographic for sure…But they’re not gettin’ my money. Piss on ’em.

The good news is,according to recent Facebook update the new Joe Buck disc “Piss And Vinegar” is going to be shipped to those of us that pre-ordered it(and couldn’t make it to a show).
That alone makes me happy.

I’ll stop the rant now. Y’all are the best. If you’re ever in west-central Kentucky I’ll buy you a round or three.

I hear you Paul.
Johnson needs to stick to the small clubs. I have seen him twice in smaller venues and arena shows won’t work for him. If the Kid Rock tour is going to be a typical Kid Rock arena blow out, that will not be good for Johnson. I hope they Johnson’s shows don’t become a rehearsed production on this tour. But I don’t see how they can avoid that.

By the way thanks for continuing to make tabacco! What B.A. job description, “tabacoo farmer”
If that doesn’t say USA!

Hey Ice,
I do live on a tobacco farm,but tobacco has about ran it’s course here. I actually work at a classic country radio station in my county seat. I hear a lot of great music…and a lot of bad too.
I try to play the good stuff. All the time.

Here’s the facts: most popular music sucks, because most of the people buying popular music suck. That’s really just the way it works. Great music has never been really popular. Country music was never really popular until it started to suck.

Jimmie Rodger’s first blue yodel sold over a million copies (In 1928, no less. That’s no means feat today with a population 3 times the size)

Hank Williams had, besides his many #1’s on the country charts, high charting singles on the billboard top 100 charts (Jambalaya and Lovesick Blues, if memory serves).

Many of the singers associated with the outlaw movement in the 1970’s sold phenomenal amounts of records.

Not to mention some of the cowboy singers (Gene Autry was popular enough that he could afford to buy a baseball team for christsake

It wasn’t being popular that killed country music, it was trying to stay popular. Every style has it’s moment in the mainstream, where it crosses over it’s usual boundaries and a lot of records get sold. There’s nothing wrong with that, so long as everybody realizes that it won’t last.

The problem is, of course, that the Nashville labels couldn’t stand to not have the success of the 50’s last. When the early 60’s hit, things weren’t going Nashville’s way. Hank was dead, most of the big rockabilly acts were out of commission for one reason or another, the folkies interest in bluegrass was several years off, etc.

They could have rode out that cycle, waited for another big thing or fabulous, superlative talent to carry the masses back. Instead, they began to change what country was defined as, edging what they released closer and closer to the pop niche.

They’re doing the same thing right here. Hip Hop is definitely the biggest trend in music right now. They could sit back and wait for their turn again – or they can cash in on this trend too. The idea is to turn country into the “everything” genre, so they can have a finger in every corner of the market.

Bingo..That’s exactly it. They are turning Country Music into an everything genre so they can have their fingers in everything. I’ve seen that coming like I said since the MTV/CMT conglomeration. They’ve been trying to introduce rock and hip hop into country for years now and they’ve slowly done it so that it will become accepted as normal.

ya’ll are taking this way to serious. i don’t think that we will ever hear anything good come out of nashville or country radio. but hey here’s an idea, quit bitchin and turn off the radio. there are plenty of great bands and singers out there that aren’t on the radio that do it their own way. instead of focusing on how messed up nashville is, we need to focus on supporting the guys and girls with soul. the crap coming out of nashville makes a lot of people happy. diferent strokes for different folks i say. i’ll keep my radio off and keep crankin out what i want to listen to off my ipod or my old vinyl collection

I usually don’t listen to new country radio. We have a “classic” country station where i live, but I end up having to cringe through some Barbra Mandrell before a Waylon song comes on. Its sad they only play one Hank Sr, song though, “tear in my beer”

we used to have one of those, but it got pulled off the air after a year, it wasn’t to bad but i’d rather decide what i want to listen to instead of having someone at a radio station tell me what to listen to

I actually asked our local radio dj as to why he won’t introduce any alt. country, red dirt, texas country, or even local “great” country artists trying to make it to their normal airplay even for a smash or trash type call in. He said they don’t do that anymore. I also asked him how they choose the songs that get played and he said he can only play music from a list that has been chosen from higher ups (program directors at radio markets in the larger cities). So from my understanding is that every radio station across the country looks to a very few select program directors from major markets that decides what songs he/she thinks the nation likes to hear. I’m sorry but a handful of people don’t have the same tastes I have in music. I’d hate for the food companies to do that same. I wouldn’t want to be stuck eating shitty Wendy’s burgers with no options of eating anywhere else.

I don’t listen to country radio, trust me. Though I do think it is my duty to patrol the mainstream country world and call out stuff like this when it comes to my attention, because apparently nobody else has the rocks to do so.

I understand what you are saying, but what is a Kevin Fowler fan supposed to do? They’re just trying to stay informed about an artist they like and then they roll up to this smut. How about all the honest to goodness country artists that get stigmatized because when they say they play country, this is what people think of? How about if you’re not going to respect the traditions on country, keeping Hank’s and Waylon’s name out of your mouth?

I completely understand what you’re getting at. And I thank the good Lord above that you have the right to say whatever you want. I agree with a lot of the things you say on this site and there are some things that i don’t agree with. There’s nothing wrong with informing people about things. I just don’t agree with bashing someone for what they do. At the end of the day you can only control yourself and i don’t think that it’s my place to judge somebody for what they do. I’ve been playing music I’ve written in bars or a while now and that’s what I love. I wouldn’t compromise myself to make an extra buck, but I’m about the music not the money. The sad thing about mainstream music is that the bottom line is the almighty dollar. All I know is I’m going to keep doing what I do and try to turn people onto good music one at a time and not concern myself with the crap coming out of nashville.

I do believe my focus and our focus should always be on the positive first, talking about and supporting the music that IS good, and I always make sure that I do not let this kind of stuff get in the way of that.

well, i really like what you’re doing here. no one else is really speaking up for the little guy out there. you have turned me onto a lot of people i have never even heard of before. keep it up, i’ll keep reading

A club owner asked me a while back about doing a show opening for Colt Ford…. I never got back to him, lol. This was the same night i was there to watch Wayne Hancock. So at least he did have good artists there…

It’s not that it can’t be done well–for their none-too-creative name, Gangstagrass combines underground hiphop and bluegrass/traditional music without compromising either. This Colt Fowler garbage is less about country than a desperate, dying music industry that actively seeks to produce music that the dumbest people in America will actually toss down wadded up dollar bills to have in their home.

We tend to forget that the roots of rap are in the fiddling callers chanting rhymes at country dances in the 19th and early 20th centuries, to whom Charlie Daniels paid homage in The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

Colt Ford’s jackass music is a world away from all that, but he should at least acknowledge his roots.

There is no rap connection, because these is no connection between country and rap. It’s like fitting a round peg into a square hole. People try, but it fails. You can reach back far and find elements of chanting in black culture, but you can find it in white culture as well. Rapping is just as much a product of Aerosmith and the late 70’s NYC punk scene as it is to anything in history.

There is however a strong connection between traditional negro music and old time/bluegrass music, and that is what I meant, illustrated by the Carolina Chocolate Drops.

So are you saying that rap is black music and therefore it is connected to traditional negro music? I think I see more of a connection between techno and rap because rap really comes from a beat focused music…traditional African music as well as club music. CCD are more traditional bluegrass (white or black). The thing that strikes me about them is that they are…black. Black folks performing quality bluegrass music in a white dominated music genre. Makes me think more of In Living Color than rap to be honest…those guys were black rockers….or Bad Brains in hardcore…THERE is a great example because Bad Brains had to be, IMHO, one of the baddest punk bands ever – and punk is as clearly a “white” genre as country.

There is actually something called a “Toast” in traditional black culture that could be seen as an origin of rap. It is a mneumonic device for oral history. Toasts were often in the company of blues music.

SOMBISHHHHH! 105 comments on this by the time I read it…gonna have to come back for 90 of them but I think you had a great idea Tiggerman, “honky tonk in a hip hop bar”! I think it would be a great opportunity to get something else out there that tells folks what Trashville is doing to their country music and their ear buds! I think we oughtta fight fire with fire! a lot of talented musicians read these posts and I think somebody needs to step up to the challenge. Just my two cents. GREAT POST.

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by bigfrankedwards, The Triggerman. The Triggerman said: Mono-Genre Alert: Kevin Fowler Sells Out for Cold Ford”™s “Hip Hop in a Honky Tonk” http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/?p=12313 […]

I aint “skeered” of HIP HOP or their self proclaimed “badass-ness”, I’am more scared of the pop country immatation shit that Trashville is sucking the minions into. I think we need to step it up a little and put a little hesitation in corporate countrys step…I think we need to incourage the “trip” they have already started so we may further thier flat faced fall. I understand what you are saying about the hip hop/honky tonk battle being beneath what indy music is all about…I just feel their ougtta be an an alterative version out there…kinda like the ol’ “Hippie from Mississippi”, ya know? (no dissrespect to Mr. Haggard intended)!:)

Great read and how right you are that some top artists needs to come out and start slamming some of this crap.Jamey Johnson,well forget him,he’s too busy opening for Kid Rock.He’s another one who is almost dead to me just for that alone.

Also,don’t look for Miranda to be the one,she’s too busy hanging with Pickler,Laura Bell and Lady A and telling the world what a great song writer Taylor Swift is on her twitter page,not to mention turning a John Prine song into a damn near heavy metal song.While I’m on that subject,when am I going to start seeing some blogs on these “real country music” sites about THAT girl selling out? People still refer to her as being one of the few that are playing real country,whaaat?? She’s no more country than any of the rest of todays top 40 crowd.

haha I might lose some points here, but so it goes…
I thought it was funny. I could give a rats ass about either of them, but they made a nod to one of my all time favorite movies. It was completely out of the blue, and the bra’s on their heads was pretty rediculous too. Sorry guys, i laughed.
BTW Colt Ford is a joke, so dont take him too serious. Im laughing at him, not with him. big differance

Well that’s what they are hoping for: pulling from familiarity to make you laugh to sell you “music” If they’s want to be comedians, there’s a place for that. I’m not watchin’. No way, no how. But you can pass the popcorn; Weird Science is a good flick!

You want to hear something funny? I write songs and I think damn this is no good no one will ever listen to me, but then I listen to something like this and I think, man this guy can make money by putting out this garbage. I understand why he does it and I understand why it sells, and it plain sucks for someone who sees the corporate establishment for what it is, someone who is not a sheep, but that is the dilemma. If you put out something that has soul and means something it usually means you are not one of the sheep, and unfortunately the flock is where the money is at. It is just plain unfair, but instead of bitching about it in this blog I’m gonna go write another song.
Losers, liars, thieves, and those who don’t believe in nothin, keep on truckin!

There are many songs we can point to that are gross examples of music, country music. But there also has to be an understanding that the sometimes people just want to laugh and not think so much or so deep. This song is clearly to make you laugh. Colt certainly is never trying to get “deep”. He isn’t trying to do anything more than get a laugh. And he does it through music. That is his medium. As Denise pointed out, he could/should be a “comic” but not all comics do stand up. Some use music.

The verse that was plucked out and quoted in the article, when I read the article, pissed me off. But when you hear it in the context of the song, Colt uses it to rip on the hiphop/pop that is getting into honky tonks, and not so much a rip on Hank Sr. or Waylon’s song.

Guys… we have to admit, that our desire to see goodlooking women in a bar setting, dancing, is what brings hiphop/pop into a honky tonk. I don’t know that many places where hardcore country has a place wall to wall with eye candy.
Merle Haggard makes the drinks go down easy, but he isn’t going to fill up a bar for a night with hotties.

I’ve said this a few times before in other comments on this article, but I agree, we cannot discount the comedic value and approach in some music, and acts like alarmists that are going to bitch about every little thing. That is the reason that I have given a pass to Colt Ford for years, because I’ve always seen him as nothing more than a gimmick. But the problem with this is two fold:

1) By acts “collaborating” with Colt like Kevin Fowler, Jamey Johnson, whoever, it gives him a layer of legitimacy in mainstream music. This video is meat to be funny, I’m not sure about the song, and if you go back and watch Colt’s duet with Jamey Johnson, there is nothing funny about it.

2) Those lyrics in essence making fun of people who ask “Did Hank do it this way?” or saying that Hank is rolling over in his gave I do think crossed a line, a line that I’m sure is shorter with me than many others, but why mock people for caring about country music traditions?

Great blog Triggerman. I don’t know who either of these guys are and don’t care to know anymore about them than what you’ve posted here. I too was fascinated by their presumptions that Hank Williams would be so appalled at honky tonk and hip hop colliding. I actually disagree. Hank Snr was an innovator, a pioneer. If he was still around today he might enjoy hip hop and choose to also merge the two styles and do it well. I love the way his grandson combines country and hardcore, his middle set (hellbilly?) is a revelation. It’s like psychobilly but much more innovative. I agree with what you said about how the hip hop community just wouldn’t allow parodies like this to make it into the mainstream. I don’t listen to hip hop myself however have found myself toe tapping to the odd Eminem song on the radio and admiring his clever lyricism. The stupid Weird Science reference is unfunny and just plain dumb. I also couldn’t stop looking at that brunette bird in the background in the performance shots. All the dudes are playing instruments and she’s just flailing all over the place. Out of focus. Ummm, why? And as for the dumb chauvinistic lyrics and portrayal of women. Oh god, I don’t even know what to say. Except: young ladies, be aware when you are busting out your booty shaking moves on the dance floor know that it’s creepy, pervy old fat fucks like this that are getting their jolly’s, Ewwwwwwww.

[…] Eric Church and Josh Thompson. You can add these names to people like Kevin Fowler, who Colt Ford had running around with women’s underwear on his head, or other previous collaborators like Montgomery Gentry, and yes, even the beloved Jamey […]

Colt Ford only exists because we Americans have become passive. I was the morning host-music director for a local country station before my current job. I basically played top 40 country. Unless it really sucked it was my choice as to what we played.
Over my 3 years there, I can’t recall anyone calling in to offer an opinion of any of the songs we were playing. People just accepted it…fed by the Nashville Music Machine and they liked it.
I heard Colt Fords “She likes To Ride In Trucks” and immediately picked up the phone and called the station I once worked at. The woman who answered the phone made me wait while she found out who/what was the “artist” was that sang that song and came back and told me it was Colt Ford. I told her they have to be crazy for playing that shit. She informed me that they have to play the “Top 40” because it was FCC regulatons. I silently almost shit my pants because…well….if you have any idea about how radio works that was about the most incredibly stupid thing I had ever heard anyone say. Being friends with the Manger of the station I told her to tell the manager that I’d “kick his ass” if he’d ever play that song again. She seemed unimpressed that I’d threated his Levis with my foot and we said our goodbyes.
If you live in a town/city that has a country music station, you need to get on the phone and bitch, raise hell or whatever it takes to make your voice heard to get shit like Colt Ford taken off the radio.
If you silently sit by and and accept it, then you deserve what you hear when you turn on your radio. If you get in the music director/Station managers ear then and only then can you expect to get your vote heard and then and only then can you expect to hear the quality of music you deserve.
Raise Hell America and take our beloved Country Music Back!

If u don’t like the music, then u simply do not listen to it. Don’t u have anything better to do than “blog” about things u dislike? I hate hip hop and the majority of newer country.i hate kid rock therefore that’s why I don’t listen to it! We do live in a country where we have freedom of choice. Take advantage of that priveledge. Many persons have died so we can have that right! Why am I even commenting on this dumb shat? I guess I have nothing better to do either.

I’m attemting to become a Country song-writer-AT 60!!!!!-and I’ve got between 100-150 original lyrics,copies of some of which I’ll e-mail to you to prove I’m not talking out of my cowboy hat and Wranglers.(Yes,I’m a black man who wears a
cowboy hat and Wranglers,sometimes even cowboy boots when I can get them.)
Were I half my current age,I’d try to become a Country artist,as I am someome the genre obviously lacks;a handsome black cowboy stud who can sing-well,a little-write credible lyrics,and,from aA LOT of gals’ reacions towards me,a rather studly presence.
In any case,to defend Colt-who’ll be 43 Aug.27-I believe the main reason he does these somewhat off-beat-though eminently listenable songs-is because he’s,well,
almost today’s Johnny Russell,in short,an obese,somewhat Bubba-esque sort the industry can use as a jester as it gives its most interesting/bankable material to handsome good ol’ boys such as Tim McGraw,Brad Paisley,Blake Shelton,Dierks Bentley,Brantley Gilbert,Jake Owens,etc.Hopefully,you folks will opine about my contribution,and I’m CERTAINLY on the hat-dudes-and,well-double-barreled
cowgirl-KELLIE PICKLER!!!!!!-side of for the nonce,and YEEEEEE-HAWWWWWWW,PARDNERS!!!